2011 Alaska County Health Rankings

2011 Alaska

County Health Rankings 2011: Alaska

www.countyhealthrankings.org/alaska 1

Introduction Where we live matters to our health. The health of a

community depends on many different factors, including

quality of health care, individual behavior, education and

jobs, and the environment. We can improve a

community’s health through programs and policies. For

example, people who live in communities with ample

park and recreation space are more likely to exercise,

which reduces heart disease risk. People who live in

communities with smoke-free laws are less likely to

smoke or to be exposed to second-hand smoke, which

reduces lung cancer risk.

The problem is that there are big differences in health

across communities, with some places being much

healthier than others. And up to now, it has been hard to

get a standard way to measure how healthy a county is

and see where they can improve.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the

University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute are

pleased to present the 2011 County Health Rankings, a

collection of 50 reports that reflect the overall health of

counties in every state across the country. For the

second year in a row, counties can get a snapshot of

how healthy their residents are by comparing their overall

health and the factors that influence their health with

other counties in their state. This allows communities to

see county-to-county where they are doing well and

where they need to improve.

Everyone has a stake in community health. We all need

to work together to find solutions. The County Health

Rankings serve as both a call to action and a needed tool

in this effort.

All of the County Health Rankings are based upon this

model of population health improvement:

In this model, health outcomes are measures that

describe the current health status of a county. These

health outcomes are influenced by a set of health factors.

These health factors and their outcomes may also be

affected by community-based programs and policies

designed to alter their distribution in the community.

Counties can improve health outcomes by addressing all

health factors with effective, evidence-based programs

and policies.

To compile the Rankings, we built on our prior work in

Wisconsin, obtained input from a team of expert

advisors, and worked closely with staff from the National

Center for Health Statistics. Together we selected a

number of population health measures based on

scientific relevance, importance, and availability of data

at the county level.

For a more detailed explanation of our approach, the

methods used to compile the Rankings, information on

the action steps communities can take to improve their

health, and examples of communities in action, see

www.countyhealthrankings.org

http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/


2 www.countyhealthrankings.org/alaska

The Rankings This report ranks Alaska counties according to their

summary measures of health outcomes and health

factors, as well as the components used to create each

summary measure. The figure below depicts the

structure of the Rankings model. Counties receive a rank

for each population health component; those having high

ranks (e.g., 1 or 2) are estimated to be the “healthiest.”

Our summary health outcomes rankings are based on

an equal weighting of mortality and morbidity measures.

The summary health factors rankings are based on

weighted scores of four types of factors: behavioral,

clinical, social and economic, and environmental. The

weights for the factors (shown in parentheses in the

figure) are based upon a review of the literature and

expert input, but represent just one way of combining

these factors.



The maps on this page display Alaska’s counties divided

into groups by health rank. The lighter colors indicate

better performance in the respective summary rankings.

The green map shows the distribution of summary health

outcomes. The blue displays the distribution of the

summary rank for health factors.

Maps help locate the healthiest and least healthy

counties in the state. The health factors map appears

similar to the health outcomes map, showing how health

factors and health outcomes are closely related.

HEALTH OUTCOMES

HEALTH FACTORS



Summary Health Outcomes & Health Factors Rankings Counties receive two summary ranks:

Health Outcomes

Health Factors

Each of these ranks represents a weighted summary of a

number of measures.

Health outcomes represent how healthy a county is while

health factors are what influences the health of the

county.

Rank Health Outcomes Rank Health Factors

1 Southeast Fairbanks 1 Juneau

2 Juneau 2 Kodiak Island

3 Sitka 3 Anchorage

4 Fairbanks North Star 4 Sitka

5 Kodiak Island 5 Fairbanks North Star

6 Kenai Peninsula 6 Wrangell-Petersburg

7 Wrangell-Petersburg 7 Kenai Peninsula

8 Anchorage 8 Matanuska-Susitna

9 Aleutians West 9 Ketchikan Gateway

10 Ketchikan Gateway 10 Valdez-Cordova

11 Dillingham 11 Aleutians West

12 Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan 12 Aleutians East

13 Matanuska-Susitna 13 Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon

14 Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon 14 Southeast Fairbanks

15 North Slope 15 Dillingham

16 Valdez-Cordova 16 Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan

17 Bethel 17 North Slope

18 Aleutians East 18 Lake and Peninsula

19 Northwest Arctic 19 Bethel

20 Yukon-Koyukuk 20 Northwest Arctic

21 Nome 21 Nome

22 Lake and Peninsula 22 Yukon-Koyukuk

23 Wade Hampton 23 Wade Hampton

Not Ranked: Bristol Bay, Denali, Haines, Yakutat



Health Outcomes Rankings The summary health outcomes ranking is based on

measures of mortality and morbidity. Each county’s ranks

for mortality and morbidity are displayed here. The

mortality rank, representing length of life, is based on a

measure of premature death: the years of potential life

lost prior to age 75.

The morbidity rank is based on measures that represent

health-related quality of life and birth outcomes. We

combine four morbidity measures: self-reported fair or

poor health, poor physical health days, poor mental

health days, and the percent of births with low

birthweight.

Rank Mortality Rank Morbidity

1 Southeast Fairbanks 1 Lake and Peninsula

2 Juneau 2 Sitka

3 Fairbanks North Star 3 Dillingham

4 Kodiak Island 4 Juneau

5 Anchorage 5 Aleutians West

6 Ketchikan Gateway 6 Southeast Fairbanks

7 Kenai Peninsula 7 Yukon-Koyukuk

8 Sitka 8 Wrangell-Petersburg

9 Matanuska-Susitna 9 Kenai Peninsula

10 Wrangell-Petersburg 10 Kodiak Island

11 Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan 11 Fairbanks North Star

12 Valdez-Cordova 12 North Slope

13 Aleutians East 13 Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon

13 Aleutians West 14 Bethel

13 Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon 15 Northwest Arctic

16 Dillingham 16 Anchorage

17 North Slope 17 Ketchikan Gateway

18 Bethel 18 Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan

19 Nome 19 Valdez-Cordova

20 Northwest Arctic 20 Nome

21 Wade Hampton 21 Matanuska-Susitna

22 Yukon-Koyukuk 22 Aleutians East

23 Lake and Peninsula 23 Wade Hampton



Health Factors Rankings The summary health factors ranking is based on four

factors: health behaviors, clinical care, social and

economic, and physical environment factors. In turn,

each of these factors is based on several measures.

Health behaviors include measures of smoking, diet and

exercise, alcohol use, and risky sex behavior. Clinical

care includes measures of access to care and quality of

care. Social and economic factors include measures of

education, employment, income, family and social

support, and community safety. The physical

environment includes measures of environmental quality

and the built environment.

Rank Health

Behaviors Rank Clinical Care Rank

Social & Economic

Factors Rank Physical

Environment

1 Juneau 1 Juneau 1 Juneau 1 Ketchikan Gateway

2 Wrangell-Petersburg

2 Dillingham 2 Kodiak Island 2 Yukon-Koyukuk

3 Anchorage 3 Ketchikan Gateway

3 Sitka 3 Valdez-Cordova

4 Fairbanks North Star


4 Anchorage 4 Sitka

5 Kodiak Island 5 Anchorage 5 Aleutians West 5 Matanuska-Susitna

6 Matanuska-Susitna

6 Kenai Peninsula 6 Fairbanks North Star

6 Kodiak Island

7 Kenai Peninsula 7 Fairbanks North Star

7 Valdez-Cordova 7 North Slope

8 Sitka 8 Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon

8 Kenai Peninsula 8 Juneau

9 Aleutians East 9 Sitka 9 Matanuska-Susitna

8 Kenai Peninsula

10 Southeast Fairbanks

10 Nome 10 Ketchikan Gateway

10 Bethel

11 Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon

11 Kodiak Island 11 Aleutians East 11 Anchorage

12 Valdez-Cordova 12 Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan


12 Aleutians East

13 Aleutians West 13 Matanuska-Susitna

13 North Slope 12 Aleutians West

14 Ketchikan Gateway

14 Bethel 14 Southeast Fairbanks

12 Dillingham

15 Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan

15 Yukon-Koyukuk 15 Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon

12 Lake and Peninsula

16 Bethel 16 North Slope 16 Dillingham 12 Nome

17 Wade Hampton 17 Valdez-Cordova 17 Lake and Peninsula

12 Northwest Arctic

18 Lake and Peninsula

18 Northwest Arctic 18 Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan

12 Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan

19 Yukon-Koyukuk 19 Southeast Fairbanks

19 Northwest Arctic 12 Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon

20 Northwest Arctic 20 Aleutians West 20 Nome 12 Wade Hampton

21 Dillingham 21 Lake and Peninsula

21 Bethel 12 Wrangell-Petersburg

22 Nome 22 Aleutians East 22 Yukon-Koyukuk 22 Southeast Fairbanks

23 North Slope 23 Wade Hampton 23 Wade Hampton 23 Fairbanks North Star



2011 County Health Rankings: Measures, Data Sources, and Years of Data

Measure Data Source Years of Data

HEALTH OUTCOMES

Mortality Premature death National Center for Health Statistics 2005-2007

Morbidity Poor or fair health Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2003-2009

Poor physical health days Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2003-2009

Poor mental health days Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2003-2009

Low birthweight National Center for Health Statistics 2001-2007

HEALTH FACTORS

HEALTH BEHAVIORS

Tobacco Adult smoking Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2003-2009

Diet and Exercise Adult obesity National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

2008

Alcohol Use Excessive drinking Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2003-2009

Motor vehicle crash death rate National Center for Health Statistics 2001-2007

High Risk Sexual Behavior

Sexually transmitted infections National Center for Hepatitis, HIV, STD and TB Prevention

2008

Teen birth rate National Center for Health Statistics 2001-2007

CLINICAL CARE

Access to Care Uninsured adults Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, U.S. Census

2007

Primary care providers

Health Resources & Services Administration

2008

Quality of Care Preventable hospital stays Medicare/Dartmouth Institute 2006-2007

Diabetic screening Medicare/Dartmouth Institute 2006-2007

Mammography screening Medicare/Dartmouth Institute 2006-2007

SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS

Education High school graduation National Center for Education Statistics1 2006-2007

Some college American Community Survey 2005-2009

Employment Unemployment Bureau of Labor Statistics 2009

Income Children in poverty Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, U.S. Census

2008

Family and Social Support

Inadequate social support Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2005-2009

Single-parent households American Community Survey 2005-2009

Community Safety Violent crime2 Uniform Crime Reporting, Federal Bureau

of Investigation 2006-2008

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

Air Quality3 Air pollution-particulate matter

days U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2006

Air pollution-ozone days U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2006

Built Environment Access to healthy foods Census Zip Code Business Patterns 2008

Access to recreational facilities Census County Business Patterns 2008

1 State data sources for KY, NH, NC, PA, SC, and UT (2008-2009). 2 Homicide rate (2001-2007) from National Center for Health Statistics for AK, AZ, AR, CO, CT, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA,

MN, MS, MT, NE, NH, NM, NC, ND, OH, SD, UT, and WV. State data source for IL. 3 Not available for AK and HI.



CREDITS

Report Authors University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Population Health Sciences Population Health Institute Bridget Booske, PhD, MHSA Jessica Athens, MS Patrick Remington, MD, MPH This publication would not have been possible without the following contributions: Technical Advisors Amy Bernstein, ScD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Michele Bohm, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Research Assistance Jennifer Buechner Hyojun Park, MA Seth Prins, MPH Jennifer Robinson Matthew Rodock Anne Roubal Communications and Outreach Burness Communications Ivan Cherniack Nathan Jones, PhD Kate Konkle, MPH Angela Russell Julie Willems Van Dijk, PhD, RN Design Forum One, Alexandria, VA Media Solutions, UW School of Medicine and Public Health

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Brenda L. Henry, PhD, MPH – Program Officer Michelle Larkin, JD, MS, RN – Team Director and Senior Program Officer James S. Marks, MD, MPH – Senior Vice President and Group Director, Health Group Joe Marx – Senior Communications Officer

Suggested citation: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. County Health Rankings 2011.

University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute 610 Walnut St, #524, Madison, WI 53726 (608) 265-6370 / [email protected]

2011 Alaska County Health Rankings

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